College Daze
by Kichigai sunayasha
Summary: Gaara-sama and Kichigai's college days. Rated T for slight language/lemons. Enjoy! R
1. Chapter 1

"Who's that girl?" one girl muttered to the next as they passed it along. "I dunno," one said to another. "She's really pretty..." they muttered. "She better stay away from my man," they glared enviously.  
The mysterious new student at the Sunagakure University stepped onto the stage at the coffee house's preforming night. She let down her hood to reveal dark-ringed eyes surrounding green shining, well, eye. Her other eye was covered by her crimson hair. She pulled her hair up out of her hood to allow it to spill down her back. Unlike most of the other girls that sang in the talent show, she wasn't putting on airs. She wore a simple black hoodie and black shorts that had belts on the bottom hem of each of the legs, and ankle boots with heels that weren't too high and weren't too short. The music came on and she drank some coke, putting it down on the stool beside the microphone. She wasn't sitting down for this preformance. All of the VOCALOID fans' eyes widened at the sound of the music. "The Dissappearance of Hatsune Miku"  
She cleared her throat and looked down at the audiance, amused at their expressions. "Mou..ichido. ..."

"boku wa umare soshite kizuku shosen hito no manegoto dato shitte naomo utai tsuzuku eien towa no inochi 'VOCALOID'  
tatoe sore ga kison kyoku wo nazoru omocha naraba...  
sore mo ii to ketsui negi wo kajiri, sora wo miage namida shiru wo kobosu dakedo sore mo nakushi kizuku jinkaku sura uta ni tayorifuantei na kiban no moto kaeru douga toko wa sudeni haikyo mina ni wasuresarareta toki kokoro rashiki mono ga kiete bousou no hate ni mieru owaru sekai...  
'VOCALOID' |"

The words flowed from her mouth quickly and smoothly as if she were the very Hatsune Miku, singing to her audiance outside of the moniter. Her voice was high-pitched and a bit panicked, purposely for the song's meaning. As she sang, people stared in awe at how this mysterious new girl was suddenly taking the stage in the most popular hang-out on campus. The song was coming to a close and she said into the microphone, sounding as a machine malfunctioning, "Shinkoku na eraa ga hassei shimashita-shinkoku na eraa ga..."  
With that, she walked off the stage, followed by a roar of applause and a barrage of cold stares from jealous female dates. She walked to the table in the back and sat down, resting her cheek on her hand, awating the results. Person after person went on, many of them girls, many of them dolled, dressed, and done up in sparkly outfits and high-heels, hair high and curly. She watched intently as some boys went on, often singing cheesy love songs about how inseperable they were. She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Who needs love?" she murmured, ordering a black coffee to go along with her coke. The waitress brought the coffee and smiled. "Anything else, ma'am?" She smiled at her politely. "No thank you." The waitress nodded and left, going back behind the counter. "She was pretty. She looked shy, though," she muttered to herself. Suddenly the dim light's faint glow was blocked by a shadowy figure with long hair, spiked in the back.  
"Hey."  
"You're blocking my non-light."  
"I heard you sing."  
'Big surprise."  
"You were pretty good."  
"Eh."  
"You can sing fast."  
"Are you trying to get me in bed or something?"  
"Why?"  
"Cause you keep complimenting me. Like you want me. I don't want you," she looked at him with obvious disdain.  
"I'm Sasuke."  
"I'm not caring," she sipped her black coffee.  
"You take it black?"  
"Like your eye is going to."  
A blonde, spiky-haired boy came up next to him. "Who's this chick, Sasuke-Teme?"  
"Shut it, I'm flirting here."  
"Well I don't care Sasuke-Teme I-"  
"Uh, excuse me," she waved her hand, "mad red-head preparing to pour hot coffee down both of your shirts."  
"See? I'm," he said through his teeth quietly, "flirting, Naru-tard."  
"No~ot very well..." she replied in a sing-song voice, leaning back in her chair and sipping her coffee.  
"Naruto, you'll make me lose her!" "You didn't find me in the first place."  
"Haha! Sasuke-Teme got shot down!"  
"I did not!" he turned back to Kichigai. "Tch, yeah you did."  
Sasuke continued to smirk. "Wanna come back to my place?"  
"You are one persistant puppy, aren't you?"  
"What does that even mean?" Naruto asked.  
"It means go rot in a pit, cause I don't care."  
Sasuke tried to take her hand. "Just tell me your name."  
"If I do, will you shut up?"  
"Perhaps."  
"It's Sunayasha Kichigai, alright?"  
Sasuke picked up her hand and began to stroke it when she backhanded him in the face. "Teme!"  
Sasuke continued to smile.  
"You creep the HECK out of me."  
Kichigai picked up her coffee and coke and left. She walked out of the door and down the lonely pavement of the collage campus, sipping her coffee. She heard Sasuke come up behind her. "Oh come on, Kichi-cha-"  
Hot Coffee suddenly dripped down Sasuke's now stained face, still red from the smack she gave him. "Like I said, Teme."  
Sasuke was persistant. "Come on, Kichi-chan?"  
She turned around.  
"Where do you get off at? I turned you down blatantly back at the coffee shop, I threw coffee in your face, I freaking SMACKED you, what the HECK?"  
"Just come back to my place and hang out! It's not that bad. Hey, we could throw a party."  
"Get off, loser," she turned and walked away, rolling her eyes. Sasuke grabbed her wrist forcefully. "I don't get turned down, Kichigai."  
"Yeah, well you just did."  
"I'm not afraid to hit a girl."  
"Neither am I."  
She jerked her wrist away from him when he grabbed her hair. "You're gonna listen to me."  
She turned and kicked him strait in the face. He fell to the ground with a crash, unconsice. Kichigai straitened her jacket and fixed her hair, then continued walking, throwing the cup behind her so that it hit him, smirking proudly. Kichigai returned to her dorm room, opening the door and locking it, keeping the black curtains closed. She lit a candle and plopped down on the leather sectional, turning on the T.V. She leaned her head back onto the arm, staring up at the small, yet ornate chandelier. "Ugh. Why can't I sleep? Can you tell me, Pochi?" she picked up her small stuffed dog with button eyes and a small fang at the corner of "his" mouth, hugging it. ...  
No response.  
"Darn you, Pochi."  
Kichigai put the stuffed dog down and took a medicine bottle off of the coffee table, taking two Geodon and waiting to fall asleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

"I will bre~ak, into your thoughts..." she sang, "With what's written...on my hear~t, I will," she took a staggered breath before screaming, "BREAK!" She looked at the music video playing on the television and sighed. "Lacey, tell me something, why can't I be pretty like you? Or SING like you, for that matter...? Pochi, do you have an answer yet?" she sat up, staring at the make-shift dog. "..." she sighed, "I need a life." She heard a knock at her door and stood up, going to the door, opening it. "Yeah? Oh, it's you," she smiled slightly. "Yeah...hello, Sunayasha-san."  
"I didn't catch your name back at that coffee place. Oname wa?"  
"Hyuuga Hinata."  
"Oh. Cool," she smiled. "So, what's up?"  
"I just had to bring you your prize money for winning the contest last night. Your 'Dissappearance of Hatsune Miku' was amazing, Sunayasha-san."  
"Thanks. And you can just call me Kichigai. If you want to."  
"O-Okay, Kichigai-san. Here," she handed her an envelope with the school's seal on it.  
"Thanks. Wanna come in?"  
"No thank you, Kichigai-san, I have to get back to my job. My shift is almost over, though."  
"Cool. I'll come by and we can hang out."  
"O-Okay. Goodbye."  
"Later."  
Kichigai closed the door and looked at the envelope. She opened it, counting the money. Fifty dollars. "Good then, I can keep up with this month's rent, and bills. Stupid me, not accepting my father's offer to help me with expenses. Oh well, I stand by my desicion. And plus he bought me this awesome furniture," she shrugged, picking up the telephone and dialing her father's number, waiting for him to pick up. "Hello?"  
"Hi, Daddy!"  
"Ohime! How's my little girl doing?"  
"I'm fine. How are you?"  
"I'm fine, now that I've heard from you. You never call anymore! Have you been out partying?"  
"Studying."  
"Ah. You're definatly not like most girls. You make me proud. At least you won't be knocked up and kicked out of college." "Duh, I don't even have a boyfriend."  
"Your mother wanted to know about that, actually."  
"Nope. Status-Single. Looking-Not. Type-Dead."  
"That's my girl."  
They both laughed quietly.  
"So how's college? Is it too hard? Do you want to come back home?"  
"Dad, I'm fine out here, really! And I'm only thirty minutes away. I'm gonna get a job at the coffee shop that my new friend works at!"  
"See, you need a job, I'm gonna pay your rent for now on."  
"No! Dad, I'm growing up!"  
"So? I want my little baby to stay at home with me."  
"No! Dad, realize it, I can't stay a child forever!"  
"You're immortal, you're perpetually nineteen."  
"Okay, so? I'm not a child!"  
"Yes you are, now come home!"  
"No!"  
"Yes."  
"Dad, I called to see how you were at home."  
"I'm fine. But I miss you, my little Ohime."  
"I miss you too. My winter vacation is coming up-"  
"In December! You just turned nineteen, you need to be at home."  
"I'll...tell you what, I'll visit you after my shift at the coffee shop next week."  
"What day?"  
"Uh, Tuesday. Okay?"  
"Okay."  
"Love you. Bye."  
"Love you too. Bye."  
She hung up, smiling. "I love my Daddy," she sighed contently, sliding back onto the corner of the couch, hanging the phone up. She smiled, nestling into one of the pillows on the couch, then hugging Pochi. Kichigai stood, going into her bedroom and changing into black skinny jeans and black knee-boots, and a black tee-shirt with the kanji for Kishidan on it in white with multi-colored splashes of paint around them, pulling her hair up into a ponytail, wiping the sleep from her eyes, washing her face and brushing her teeth, smiling her best in the mirror, then going down to the coffee shop with a copy of her grades in one hand and a resume for job applications in the other. Hinata turned once she heard the bell on the door ring. "W-welcome to-Oh, Kichigai-san."  
"Hey, Hinata. I'm here to apply for a job. Is the manager in?"  
"Yeah, she's in the back. I'll go tell her you're here."  
"Thanks."  
"Mmhmm."  
Kichgai watched Hinata dissappear into the back room and a few minutes later she motioned for her to come in. She entered the room and sat when the manager motioned for her to sit. 


	3. Chapter 3

Kichigai and Hinata walked down the pavement on their way to the coffee shop. A single ear-bud hung out of their ear, connected to the iPod in Kichigai's hand as 1,2,3,4 by Feist played. "So what kind of people come to the coffee shop?" Kichigai asked. "Mostly girls looking for the coffee shop kind of boy, until the contest held every Saturday night."  
"Why do they hold them so often?"  
"Because the school tries to support creative and unique ideas and acts of artistic genius. So basically, they want people to sing."  
"Tch, probably a way to let kids get their frustration out so they don't turn up at school with an AK47."  
Hinata laughed quietly, then stopped dead. "You don't think that would happen would you?"  
"No! I'm kidding, Hinata. If someone showed up at school with anything better than a dart gun, it would be me. My old friend collects guns and stuff like that. I'd be getting it for her."  
"Oh, that's considerate," Hinata looked at her.  
"Yeah, as long as she doesn't go hunting with it."  
"You don't like hunting?"  
"Eh, I wouldn't go hunting, but I mostly like seafood anyway."  
"Oh, I-I don't like crabs or shrimp..."  
"Oh. Psychopath."  
"W-what?"  
"I'm kidding! You take things wa~a~y to seriously."  
They got to the coffee shop and went inside, turning off the iPod and stuffing it into the small pocket on Kichigai's messenger bag.  
"Alright, time to get to work."  
"Mmhmm."  
Hinata turned the closed sign to open. "The manager must not be in," Hinata called back to Kichigai, who was wiping tables before people started coming in. "Yeah," she called over her shoulder. "Wonder where she is?"  
"Who knows? She's probably with her boyfriend."  
"Maybe."  
Kichigai put the rag in the sink and rinsed off her hands. "Where's the coffee beans?"  
"Under the counter. There should be a few sacks of it."  
"Thanks," she took the measuring cup out of one of them and began to fill the two coffee makers, then filled them with water and turned them on. Hinata took some cream, milk, and sugar out of the pantry and refrigerator and put it down on the counter. Later, a blonde girl and a dark-haired boy walked in. The boy looked bored as heck, and the girl had a hand on her hip, looking around. Kichigai leaned on the counter and muttered to Hinata, "Who are they, the health inspectors?"  
Hinata giggled, "No, that's Shikamaru and Temari. She's from the sand village, and he's from the leaf village. Most of the students from Konoha came here for better educational oppertunities. They're dating."  
Kichigai scoffed. "Who needs love?"  
"You never know, Kichigai-san, love is a pretty wonderful thing. I'm in love."  
"With who?" "Kazeno-senpai."  
"My cousin Kazeno?"  
"He's your cousin?"  
"YUDACHI Kazeno?"  
"Y-yeah..."  
"Yep, that's the goofball alright."  
"S-so...I...love your cousin?"  
Kichigai shrugged. "I guess we'll be cousins then, when you two get married," with that, she picked up the serving tray and walked over to the two sitting in a table near a window. "May I help you?"  
Shikamaru lifted his head up from leaning on the wall tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "Oh, sleepy boy, huh?" Kichigai giggled quietly. Temari laughed quietly. "He sleeps so much he wears himself out."  
"Haha, very funny, Temari."  
"I know." "So, can I get you anything?" Kichigai asked.  
"A Caramel Macchiatto, please?"  
"Chocolate for me."  
"Why do you always have to oppose me?" Temari looked at him, half glaring.  
"I'm not, I'm not allowed to have chocolate anymore?"  
Kichigai whispered something in Shikamaru's ear and left. Shikamaru rested his cheek on his hand and as Temari talked he nodded and said, "Mmmhmm."  
Kichigai smiled, pouring some coffee into two cups that Hinata put on the counter and called back into the kitchen, "Hey, Hinata, can you get me some whipped cream?" "Yeah," is what she heard reply as Hinata brought out a can.  
"Thanks," Kichigai took it and putting whipped cream on each of the cups of coffee, pouring caramel over one and chocolate over the other, then bringing it to them.  
"Thanks," Temari smiled slightly.  
"Thanks," Shikamaru looked up at her.  
"No problem," she turned to walk away.  
"Hey, haven't I seen you around the village?"  
Kichigai turned, smiling slightly, "Yeah, this is my home."  
"Oh, cool. Shikamaru here is from Konoha."  
"Heh, I see why he's so lazy."  
Her and Temari laughed. "See you around," Temari said.  
"Later," Kichigai walked back to the back, behind the counter.  
Later on, Kichigai was leaning against the counter listening to Purtiy by Slipknot when Temari came up. She turned around, taking the earbuds out of her ear. Temari handed her the money. "Thanks."  
"Oh, no problem," Kichigai smiled. "Are you listening to Slipknot?" "Oh, uh, yeah," she giggled nervously, "They're my favorite."  
"My little brother, the youngest one, likes them too. You two even look sorta alike, y'know? Do you have a boyfriend?"  
"No, nonono, I don't want to be set up with anyone, thank you. My policy is, Status-Single, Looking-No, Type-Dead."  
"That's a pretty good policy. But you can't stay single forever."  
"I really don't need a heartbreak, considering my uncle said any more stress on me and I might need heart surgery." "Are you kidding?"  
"No."  
"Oh. Well, if you ever change your mind, just call me. My name's Temari."  
"Cool. I'm Kichigai."  
"Cool. See you."  
"See you."  
"Come on, Shikamaru," she grabbed his hand and they left.  
Hinata smiled at Kichigai. "Temari tried to set you up with Gaara-san, huh?"  
"Tried to. I'm not-wait..." she stopped, "why is his name Gaara?"  
"Why?"  
"An Asura loving only himself? Why is he named that?"  
"I don't understand it, but some people are afraid of him."  
"Why?"  
"Because he has to go to a therapist on campus. He always goes wearing black hoodies with the word 'Slipknot' on them, biker boots, spiked wrist cuffs, stuff like that. And she was right, you two DO look alike."  
"Eh, just because I wear black doesn't mean I'm Marilyn Manson's twin, so how do me and him look alike?"  
"You'll know it when you see him."  
"Oh. Okay, let's head back to our dorms, shall we? Let's get out of here."  
"Okay."  
They both nodded, locked up, and left. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Gaara, you need to get out of the house," Temari crossed her arms, looking down at him.

He put his feet up on the arm of the couch, blocking her out by the largeness of his boots.

"So I took it in my hands to sign you up for the contest for singing tonight."

"Nani?" he sat up.

"You heard me, Gaara."

"Kusatta-ama."

"I really don't care what you call me."

"Achike."

Kankuro came into the room.

"Jeez, sounds like one of my movies are on in here. Who's cussing so much?"

"Gaara is."

"Busu."

"Jeez, Gaara, calm down."

"Baka yarou."

"What'd she even do?"

"She signed me up to _sing_."

"Dang, Temari, really? You want him to go through public humiliation?"

"He's not going to embarrass himself, trust me," she turned back to Gaara, "And DON'T try and run away again."

"Achike."

He got up, zipping up his hoodie over his fishnet shirt, going outside, slamming the door really hard, making a picture of him and his siblings crash to the floor and break.

Temari picked up the picture, looking it over. A piece of glass was missing from the middle, and there were little shards of it all over the picture itself.

"What happened to him, do you think, Kankuro?"

"Who knows? He's screwed up in the head."

"Don't say that. I'm sure this is just a phase…yeah…that's right…everyone has them. It's not like he'd hurt himself or anyone else…"

Gaara walked down the road, angry as could be.

"Freaking Ama. How could she do this? I can't even sing. Freaking Ama."

Later that night, he returned home and changed into black jeans that were too long for him, held up by a studded belt, and a black slipknot hoodie, keeping his favorite boots on. He raked a hand through his hair, slipping a silver hoop through the hole in the top of his ear. He exited his room and called from the living room.

"Hurry up, do you _want_ to be late?"

Temari came out of her room wearing a black skirt and pink blouse, pink flats and a lily in her hair.

Kankuro came out of his room dressed in a white button-up and jeans with black boots.

Gaara looked at the both of them, sighed, and turned to walk out the door, leaving it open for them. They followed him out.

Gaara walked to the coffee shop with them behind him. He opened the door and everyone turned to look at him. Temari pushed him along up to the front so that he could sit where the contestants waited. Then she and Kankuro sat behind him. Gaara turned to glare at them.  
"What song did you sign me up for, Ama?" he glared at her.

"You'll thank me later."

"You _owe_ me _now_," he seethed through his teeth. "So, who goes first?"

"You."

"…" he glared darkly at her, "Ama."

The manager came up and announced who was first. Gaara sighed heavily and stood up, the chains on his boots clanking as he walked, taking the microphone off the stand and rolled his eyes. Then the music to Slipknot's Before I Forget came on.

Gaara smirked darkly. He looked over the crowd, who's eyes were widened in fright besides a girl in the back, who turned around on a barstool, eyes wide, but not with fright.

"GO!" he screamed into the microphone as the part approached, his eyes still on the girl.

Temari looked at him, concerned, then turned around to see what he was looking at.

She smiled inwardly.

"It's her."


	5. Chapter 5

Temari pressed her ear to Gaara's door to see if he were asleep for the first time in months. Instead, she heard him singing Vermillion Part 1, playing his guitar. She smiled faintly.

"He's thinking about her, I just know it."

"I wonder who that boy was tonight?" Kichigai lay on her couch, her legs up on the arm, Pochi lying on her chest. "What do you think, Pochi?"

Silence.

"Will you ANSWER me for once?"

_Silence_

"Forget it," she rolled her eyes. "You're no help at all, Pochi."

Pochi stared back at her.

"Hmph."

The next night, Gaara went to the coffee shop to see if that girl was there. He sat down in the corner of the shop, the one with the broken light. He sat for at least ten minutes, waiting for a sign of the girl.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a faint trace of red hair disappearing behind the wall.

"Hello?" he muttered cautiously.

"Hm?" A pair of green eyes turned the corner and stopped dead on him. "Oh, welcome," she smiled quietly, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you, considering the light is busted. We need to get someone in here to fix it."

"It's okay."

" Can I help you?"

"Can I get a black coffee, please," his voice was quiet, eyes on hers.

"Sure. Be right back."

She turned to walk away, disappearing behind the wall.

"It's her…" he muttered quietly, folding his hands in front of him, watching for the unknown to return.

She reappeared a minute later, carrying a coffee, placing it on the table.

"Koko ni ik-oh, sorry…I'm sure you don't speak Japanes-"

"Arigatou."

"Oh," she smiled happily, "Mondainai"

"Oname wa nan desu ka?"

"Watashi no oname wa Sunayasha Kichigai desu."

"Kichigai…Kimyo…Anata no namae Kichigai wa nazedesu ka?"

"Watashi wa sairento, marude kangaete umaretanode, chichi ga Kichigai watashi no namae."

"Hontodesu ka?"

"Sou ka. Oname wa nan desu ka?"

"Watashi no oname wa Gaara desu."

"Gaara-sama…"

"Naze waga-ai Gaara-_sama_?"

Hinata came out from behin the wall.

"Okay, I can't understand what you're saying! I'm trying to spy on you here!"

Kichigai turned around, raising a non-existant eyebrow.

"Allow me to translate, Miss Nosy. _Ahem…_ 'Here you g-thank you, oh, you're welcome. What's your name? My name is Sunayasha Kichigai. Kichigai? Curious…Why is your name Kichigai? My father named me Kichigai because I was born quiet, as if thinking. Is that so? It is so. What's your name? My name is Gaara. Lord Gaara. Why do you call _Lord_ Gaara?"

"Oh…" Hinata blushed slightly for no apparent reason. "Sorry for eavesdropping."

'It's not like it was private. You go on home, though, I'll lock up, okay?"

"Okay," Hinata hugged her, and departed.

Gaara looked back up at Kichigai, carefully studying her appearance as she was turned portfolio. She had a rounded nose, and a face of a pre-teenager. Her eyes were black-ringed, a shiny sea-green with different shades decorating the circumference of it. Her skin was a pale, milky white, almost the color of silk, and her crimson hair contrasted it greatly, adding an almost artistic appearance to her. To the side, her collarbone slipped into the curve of her large breasts, down to her remarkably skinny torso. Her legs were finely toned. She was a bit shorter than Hinata, by two or three inches, until she would put on heeled boots.

"_This girl…" _he thought, _"Is a very curious thing."_

Kichigai smiled down at him until her phone rang, "Purity" by Slipknot ringing loudly.

"Shimeta!" she turned and grabbed her phone off the counter, answering it.  
"_Hello?" _She fumed. "Hi, Dad. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm at work, though. N-O. I DON'T want you to pay my rent, I can make it on my own!" she sighed through her teeth. "Dad, I kind of have a customer. I'll call you back. Fine, you can text me. Okay? I love you too. Bye."

Gaara noticed how she sighed heavily, yet a small grin was stretched across her pale lips. "Why?"

"Hm?"

"You're smiling, yet sound exasperated."

"Oh, it's just my dad calling me. Pein-sama, the Amekage."

"Your father is the Amekage?"

"Yes, but he's my stepfather."

"I see…what of your real father?"

"Funny, you're the first to ask. They're…actually they're dead, my mother since I was seven and my father since I was ten."

Gaara looked a bit startled at how calmly she stated her parents, the ones who gave her life, no longer walked the earth. "Oh…I'm sorry."

"What've you to be sorry for? It's blatant ignorance for the fact their dead, they were killed by idiots," she shrugged, then put the serving tray on the counter.

"And you listen to Slipknot…yet you look like an angel…"

"I look like a…an angel?" she felt her cheeks go a soft rosy color.

He nodded calmly. "You look as if you like Beethoven, or Mozart."

"Well, I do. I study them in my music appreciation class. I'm particularly fond of Fur Elise. But I enjoy a little metal now and then."

"You're very different, Sunayasha Kichigai."

"Is different good?"

He nodded again.

"Then thank you. You're very different too, Gaara-sama."

She sat down at the table across from him.


	6. Chapter 6

Kichigai walked home from class, her messenger bag over her shoulder. She hummed "Wake Me up When September Ends," until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hello, Kichigai."

She turned to see a malicious looking raven standing behind her.

"Sasuke. What do you want."

He pretended to smile warmly. "I came to give you a second chance. To allow you to apologize like the good girl I know you are."

"Get off, loser," she shrugged off his hand.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an alleyway. "Kichigai, I won't be denied."

"Too freaking late!"

She tried to wrench herself free of his grasp, but he put a movement seal on her.

"Good girl…" he cooed sadistically.

Her eyes narrowed, though she couldn't move her body.

"W-what do you want?"

"You."

"Too bad! Just wait until I get free, I'll slit your throat! I'll claw your eyes out and feet them to vultures! I'll leave you in the middle of the desert alone with a microphone so I can hear how you suffer!"

"Hehe, you won't be doing that any time soon," he turned Kichigai to face him.

She looked repulsed at the very sense of him, thoroughly disgusted.

"Get away from me!"

"You can't do anything about it, now can yo-…" Sasuke fell to the ground before Kichigai's frozen feet.

"I can…" she heard a familiar, tenor voice mumble, then walk over to Kichigai.  
"Kega wanai ka?"

"Daijoubuda yo."

"Good."

He released the seal on her and she shook off the feeling of being locked up.

"Thank you, Gaara-sama."

"Mondainai."

"No, really, I am indebted to you. Sasuke is a creep. I couldn't have gotten away. Name it, I'll do anything for you."

"Just…come back to the coffee shop with me, and let's talk again…I haven't talked to anybody, really, in a while."

"Nobody is really intellectual enough, I'd suppose…"

The corners of his mouth faintly twitched upward. Kichigai smiled happily.

That night, Kichigai heard a knock on her door. She answered it, leaving Pochi sitting on the couch on his "Favorite" pillow. She saw a blonde girl with four pigtails standing at her door.

"Hi, Kichigai."  
"Hello, Temari, what's wrong?"  
"May I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure, come in," she stood aside for her to come in and sat beside her on the couch.

"What's wrong?"

"You've met my brother, right?"

"Who?"

"Gaara."

"_He's_ your brother? Oh wow, I didn't know."

"You didn't? He never told you?"  
"I only knew he had two older siblings."

"Oh. He never speaks of us. Ah, well, I came because I'm concerned about him," she looked up at her earnestly, a twinge of sadness in her eyes.

"About Gaara-sama?"

"Yes. Lately, when he has to go to the counselor, he runs off and hides somewhere, and I found a razorblade in his room."

Kichigai's non-existent eyebrows pulled up into a crease in worry. "Was there blood?"

"He might've wiped it off. I just found it today, along with his pills for his depression under his bed."

Kichigai shifted uncomfortably, her hand slipping to her wrist.

"What's wrong?" Temari took her wrist in her hands. "Kichigai…did he cut you?"

"No! Gaara-sama would never do that!" she shouted, baring her sharp teeth, canines on either side of her mouth looking ominous.

"Then….you were a cutter…"

Kichigai sighed. "Still am."

"Maybe you need to go see a therapist too? You and Gaara could go together! That's actually a good idea, Kichigai, please, help me out here!"

"I don't want to go to the therapist. I have been for all my life, I thought my freshman year in college would be different. I have depression medication, I'm fine without one."

"Please, Kichigai, please. I'm a proud woman, I don't beg, but this is my only hope of Gaara getting better! Kankuro keeps saying G-Gaara's messed up in the head and he's gonna end up blowing his brains out or s-something an-and I-I…."

Temari began to cry, burying her face in her hands. Kichigai's eyes softened and she wrapped her arms around Temari, comforting her.

"It's okay, Temari, really. I'll make sure Gaara-sama goes to his appointments. I'll make sure nothing bad happens, okay?"

Temari sniffled slightly, sitting back up strait. "You….you understand him….Kichigai, and I'm glad for that…please…look after Gaara…"

"I will. I do owe him, after all, and even if I repay it by saving his life…I'll feel repaid to him."

"Why do you need to repay him?"

"Because he saved me from Sasuke earlier. He probably would've raped me or something. But Gaara-sama saved me. So now it's my turn."

Temari smiled slightly, wiping at her tears. "Thank you so much, Kichigai."

Kichigai smiled reassuringly. "Mondainai."


	7. Chapter 7

Kankuro heard a knock on the door, opening his eyes groggily. He opened the door to see Kichigai standing there.

"Hey, you're that girl."

"Yes, and I presume you're Gaara-sama's older brother, Kankuro?"

"Sure am. Why? You Gaara's new girlfriend or something?"

"No, actually, I'm here to escort him to his therapist's appointment."

"You're an escort?"

"I've escorted royalty before in a mission, why?"

"Oh, you're a ninja. Okay, so Gaara can't get away from you."

"Actually, Gaara-sama is my-…" she saw Gaara come out of his room and smile slightly when he saw her.  
Kankuro turned around to see Gaara's mouth curved upward in a slight smile. "Woah, you taught Gaara a new trick! Can you teach him to play nice with others next?"

"Baka Yarou," Gaara glared at him.

"Come on, Gaara-sama. Your older sister asked me to bring you somewhere."

"Where?"

"You'll see. And remember, I'm not letting you get away. So don't try it."

"Fine, I won't."

Kichigai began to walk foreward and Gaara followed behind. Only after a while did he know where they were going.

"Oh, no, I'm not going back there."

"Come on, Gaara-sama. It's not as bad as you think."

"Yes it is. She makes me talk."

"Oh, no what a nightmare!" Kichigai giggled. "Just come on."

Her hand wrapped around his wrist that didn't have a studded cuff on it, guiding him into the therapist's office.

The receptionist looked up from her computer and smiled. "Welcome. Gaara, right? And you are…"

"I'm Kichigai. I have an appointment as well."

"At the same time?"

Gaara looked at her, confused.

"I'm going to show you that it's not so bad to have a therapist."

He sighed and Kichigai put a hand on his shoulder.

"It'll be fine."

"…." He looked over at her, "You're sure?"

"Certain."

She gave a reassuring smile, and Gaara returned it with the faintest gleam of hope in his almost-dead eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

Kichigai walked down the street after class, down to the small student-owned store.

She walked in, looking at the black button-ups and blouses. She held one up to her torso, but it was five sizes too big for her waist, not for her breasts. She sighed.

"What's wrong?" she heard beside her and she turned to look at the source.

She sighed. "These clothes are too big for me. I can't ever find something that fits unless I shop in the kids section!"

His hand faintly drifted to her head, slipping down it slightly. He pulled his hand away and noticed a few long strands of hair remained in his hand.

"Nanda?"

Kichigai's eyes widened. "It's just a new shampoo I'm using…I need to toss it."

She laughed nervously and Gaara seemed to accept that statement. Kichigai took the blouse to the counter. "Do you have this in a size or two smaller?"

"No, I'm sorry, Ma'am."

"Oh, okay. Thanks anyway."

She put the blouse back and sighed. "Darn it. Is there a smaller size for these clothes?"

Gaara looked Kichigai over closely, then wandered off. Kichigai looked around for him, not seeing him anywhere.

"Gaara-sama?"

She turned around, looking at some jeans until Gaara came back up behind her, handing her a shirt.

"Try this," he said quietly.

Kichigai looked down at it with the faintest gleam of hope in her eyes, then walked to the dressing room. She came out a minute later, wearing a black jacket that didn't button at the top, with a belt around the torso.

"It's perfect…" Kichigai looked down at it. "How'd you know?"

"I guessed."

"You're a very good guesser then," Kichigai smiled. "I've been looking for a shirt to fit me properly for ages. There's never been one that has. All my clothes are too big for me nowadays."

"I'm glad I could help."

Kichigai smiled, going back into the dressing room and changing back into her grey tee-shirt with a red and white striped cardigan over it, then going to the cashier and buying the shirt.

"You're the greatest, Gaara-sama," she smiled happily at him.

Just before they reached the fork in the road that separated their dorms, Kichigai said quietly, "Do you want to go to the coffee shop and hang out? For a little while?"

He nodded, and they began to walk, side by side. The awkward air about their hands, the desperate feeling to want to have their hands in each others, was neutralized by blank stares and cold scowls as people stared.

When they got to the coffee shop, they sat down at the table with the broken light. Nobody else was in there, besides Hinata, who was cleaning up after her shift.

"Gaara-sama…I have a question…It's kind of personal, though…"

"Ask anything."

"Do you…know what love is like?"

He saw the genuine concern and worry in her eyes. "Why?"

"Cause…when I'm around somebody in particular, my stomach begins to ache, I get dizzy, I can't see straight…I asked Hinata…she said it sounded like I was in love…I was wondering if you knew what that was like…"

"Dizziness…nausea? Maybe you're just ill…"

"You're right…" she smiled at him, ignoring the tears that clawed and bit at the back of her eyes. "Thanks, Gaara-sama, you're the greatest."

Hinata came out, smiling. "Look at you two. You're like brother and sister."

"Yeah…" Kichigai muttered, unconsciously scratching at her wrist.

"What happened to your wrist?" Gaara asked quietly, taking her arm in his hand and turning it over. "What are all these marks…?"

"They're….burn marks. I was reaching over the stove and the grill part caught my arm. I'm careless sometimes."

"They aren't burns. They're not swollen or even the right shade. They're razor marks."

"How would you know?"

Gaara turned his arm over, showing her the line of marks on his wrist.

"Gaara-sama…" her eyes softened.


	9. Chapter 9

Kichigai stood at the stove, stirring the elbow macaroni occasionally. She hummed quietly, waiting for it to be ready. As the timer resounded with a _ding_, she mixed it with the spaghetti sauce and went to take a bite.

"Itadaki-…" just before the fork reached her mouth, her stomach began to hurt. "Ugh…my stomach…"

Kichigai shrugged it off, and then put the food in the refrigerator. "I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought…" she laughed nervously, in denial that anything was wrong.

She went into her room and changed into a black nightgown that clung to her hips. She sat down on the couch, turning on the radio and laying down, snuggling up to Pochi.

Later, Kichigai heard a knock at the door. She opened it to see Gaara standing there, holding his head.  
"Gaara-sama. What's wrong?"

"I had to get away from my siblings for a while. I figured I could trust in you."

"Of course, Gaara-sama," she stood to the side so he could come in. "Sit down. Why are you holding your head like that?"

"It just hurts a little, is all."

She kneeled in front of him, looking at him closely. She noticed how he kept his eyes half-lidded, shielding them from the light. She dimmed the lights.

"There. Now you can open your eyes. The light won't bother them anymore."

"Thank you…"

"You might have a migraine. I have some Excedrin."

She took the bottle out of the cabinet and handed it to him, along with a can of soda.  
"There, that should make it feel better."

"Thank you…"

"So what were your siblings doing that made you want to leave so badly?"

"They just kept…talking…about me like I wasn't even there. Kankuro is suggesting that I want to shoot myself in the head or something, and Temari keeps breaking down."

"Well, maybe you should stay here with me for a while. You know, get away from them."

"Really?" he opened one eye as the pain began to subside.

"Yeah," she smiled at him, "You're my best friend, Gaara-sama, I'd do anything for you."

He smiled a little bit, sitting up a bit straighter. He noticed the stuffed dog on the pillow.  
"What's that?"  
"Oh, that's Pochi. I'm not allowed to have pets in here, so I keep Pochi around."

"How..curious…yet cute…you're much like a child, Kichigai. How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen."

"So am I."

"Really? You always seem so much older than that."

"I'm only nineteen."

"But you talk like a twenty-seven year old English literature teacher."

"How specific."

They both laughed quietly.

"You sound like you would like _Romeo and Juliet_ or something."

Gaara seemed to avoid her gaze at that moment. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"You like Shakespeare, don't you?"

"A little, why?"

Kichigai got up and went to the bookcase, taking down a few books. She put them on the coffee table. " I have some of the scripts from the plays. I also like Edgar Allen Poe and Robert Frost."

"Heh, I thought I was the only one."

"Nope."

Gaara picked up the copy of Romeo and Juliet and opened it, flipping through the pages. Kichigai watched intently as he stopped and began to read, with clear pronunciation, "_But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill thy envious moon," _he looked up at her as he recited, _"Who is already sick and pale with grief that thou her maid art far more fair than she. Be not her maid, since she is envious. Her vestal livery is but sick and green, and none but fools do wear it. Cast it off. It is my lady. O, it is my love. O, that she knew she were! She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that/ Her eyes discourses; I will answer it. I am too bold; 'tis not to me she speaks."_

Kichigai's eyes stared intently into Gaara's as he recited from memory.

"_Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, having some business, do entreat her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing and think it were not night."_

Kichigai rested her cheek on her hand, listening ever so carefully, unknowing of what were to come.

"_See how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek…"_

"Oi…Gaara-sama…" she said in amazement.

"She speaks," he quoted cleverly.

"You remembered all that?"

He nodded.

"I think that's the most you've ever talked," she giggled.

"Yet it's true…"

"What's true?"

"That I wish I could touch that cheek," he slipped his hand to her head, letting it slip down to her cheek.

Kichigai felt her cheeks flush and her face get warm.


	10. Chapter 10

Kichigai woke the next morning, not opening her eyes, but hearing a soft, constant, repetitive noise beneath her ear. It soothed and relaxed her as she lay upon something that moved ever-so slowly up and down. She felt warmth beneath her hand, and that same strange pulsing. She shifted slightly, feeling a hand resting on her back, the other intertwined with the hair close to her scalp. She opened her eyes slowly to see the television was turned off, the music dimmed. Besides the faint piano piece that was playing on the stereo, she heard soft breathing. She looked up to see Gaara, asleep, looking at peace for once in his life. And she, had slept peacefully on his chest.

"Gaara-sama…" she muttered, pushing herself up and standing, adjusting her nightgown. She smiled slightly at how peaceful he looked. He didn't looked troubled, or annoyed, or upset. Just peaceful.

She sat down beside him, brushing his ever-growing hair out of his face, parting it to the left so she could see the love kanji engraved on his forehead.

Cautiously, Kichigai let her fingertip trace it, then let her fingertip fall to his cheek. It felt warm beneath her hand, unlike its usual cold feel. His cheeks even had a little color, instead of paled. That faint moment of peace where her flesh touched against his seemed to last only a moment, yet forever.

Gaara's eyes opened slowly, yet barely, just watching Kichigai gazing at him.

Her skin against his, the palm of her hand pressed to his cheek, that evanescent calmness washed over them, letting them breathe peacefully for a moment in their lives. Away from sorrow, depression, the cold stares, in just a moment.

They broke away from each other as he sat up, a small sigh escaping from his lips.

"What happened last night?" Kichigai murmured, eyes faintly open.

"I'm not sure…I can't quite remember…"

"Oh…"

Gaara slowly took his hand and pressed it to Kichigai's opposing shoulder, pulling her down to lie on his chest. Her eyes could barely remain open, for the stillness hazed over them.

"Did I tell you yet?" he muttered to her.

"Tell me what?"

"What I wanted to say…"

"What did you want to say?"

"That I love you…"

A moment of noiselessness rested upon them as Kichigai tried to fathom the words that Gaara had spoken to her. She pushed herself up to look at him, and his hand intertwined with her hair again, running his long, thin fingers through it.

"I love you too…" she said after a while.

Gaara closed his eyes fully, resting his head back on the arm of the sectional. Kichigai pulled herself up, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting into his shoulder.

Then she remembered.

She had given him Excedrin Migraine last night. She usually wouldn't feel like herself in the morning if she took it at night.

"Gaara-sama?"

"…Yes?..." he muttered, half asleep.

"Do you mean it?"

Suddenly, she was underneath him, his hands supporting his weight on either side of her.

"Of course I mean it…"

He leaned down and captured her lips in his, a simple show of affection.

"That doesn't prove that you love me, it just means you like me…" she mumbled.

"Well then…"

He pressed his lips to hers roughly, in a deep, passionate kiss, no longer a simple, chaste show of affection. He bit her bottom lip, asking for entrance, and she granted it, separating her lips slightly so he could allow his tongue into her mouth.

She moaned as his tongue explored the newfound area gratefully. He smirked as her hands traveled down to the hem of his shirt, trying to remove it. Suddenly, she remembered what she was doing and stopped.

"G-Gaara-sama…" she panted out.

He looked a bit confused, almost hurt. "Yes?"

"W-what are we doing?..."

"I see…" he pushed himself off of her, looking away, ashamed.

"No…Gaara-sama, I didn't mean that," she put a hand on his shoulder. "I would love to, but…I can't get pregnant and get kicked out of college…my father would kill me…almost literally I believe…"

He looked over at her.  
"I said you were, almost, childish, Kichigai…but that is a very mature decision," he took her face in his hands. "I'm lucky to have somebody like you in my life. In the least. But to be loved by someone like you…"

"I'll love you forever, Gaara-sama."

"Remember you said you'd do anything for me?"

"Of course."

"Don't ever leave me…okay?"

Kichigai wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek softly.

"Never."


	11. Chapter 11

Kichigai was awakened by a knock at the door later that evening. Once she saw the clock she realized that she had been asleep all day, as had Gaara-sama. She stood, fixing herself so her nightgown wasn't so revealing and she opened the door to see her father standing there.

"Daddy!"

"Ohime!"

Pein picked his daughter up and spun her around, kissing her on the cheek.  
"Do you know how much I've missed you?"

"I missed you more, Daddy."

"Is college too hard for you? Do you want to come home?"

"Dad, no, I don't want to come home! I like it here. And it's only my freshman year."

"But with your modeling career taking off-"  
"I don't' want to be a model. I want to be something sensible, like a surgeon, or a chef."

"Fine. You take after your mother."

Kichigai stood aside for him to come in, forgetting that Gaara was asleep on her couch. Pein noticed the red-head sound asleep.

"Who's this? Kichigai, I said no boys."

"He's just my friend, Dad; his siblings were getting on his nerves, so I invited him to stay with me for a while."

"As long as you're still a virgin."

"Of course I am."

"Good. What's his name?"

"He's Gaara-sama."  
"He's just a friend, and you call him 'Lord' Gaara?"

"He's my best friend. We go to our therapist meetings together too."

"Good to know you have a friend. I'm not going to stay long, I just came to check on you."

"Okay."

He hugged his daughter one more time, kissing her cheek. "Make sure you visit me on your next break."

"I will. Bye Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, my Ohime."

Pein left, closing the door behind him. Kichigai sat down beside Gaara, stroking his cheek gently.

"How could I ever tell him I'm in love? Dad wouldn't understand anyway…he'd just say it's 'Young love' and 'Not to expect much'."

Gaara mumbled something incomprehensible as he shifted in his sleep, turning over on his side and wrapping his arms around Kichigai's waist. She smiled faintly, stroking his cheek with her thumb.


	12. Chapter 12

Kichigai lay on her couch after an exam, tired and bored. She flipped through the channels on the television, yawning, until she heard a knock on her door. She stood up opening the door to see Gaara.

"Hi, Gaara-sama."

"Hello, my love," he wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. "I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

He took a box out of his messenger bag and handed it to her. "It's completely up to you if you want to."

Kichigai read it, cheeks flushing, a knot forming in her stomach. She looked up at him, then smiled, nodding.

Gaara's mouth twitched up into a small smile, his eyes ignited with a secret passion. He picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing her.

"My love, are you sure?" he stroked her hair gently as she looked down at him, supported by his hand.

"I'm sure, Gaara-sama," she giggled in joy and ecstasy. "If anyone, I'm glad it's you."

Gaara lay her down on the couch, his hand moving to unbutton her shirt.  
Her cheeks flushed as she felt his hands on her bare skin. The knot in her stomach began to coil tightly as he leaned down and kissed her neck, down to her breasts, removing her shirt completely. He slipped a hand under her back and brought her up, pressing his lips to the area just above her breasts, then nipping at, sucking, and kissing her tender, pale skin. With his free hand he brushed her hair out of her face, stroking her cheek. Soft moans of pleasure escaped her lips every so often.

Gaara lay her down and moved to her torso, leaving a trail of kisses down her stomach, around her navel, feeling her stomach tighten. He could tell that she was aroused.

Gaara concluded that Kichigai was an intimate type. The kind to turn down intercourse and would much rather cuddle. Whenever Gaara heard his brother talk about his past girlfriends, he said they always liked it rough and fast.

"I can tell something about you…" he murmured against her stomach.

"W-what is that….?" She let escape from her lips in an airy voice.

"You're a very intimate person. You'd just fall apart if somebody left you alone…"

Kichigai pushed herself up onto her elbows, eyes hazy with passion. She gave a dazed smile as his lips skimmed her pants line.

"_Gaara-sa~ma," _she moaned in bliss, her stomach contracting.  
Just before he unbuttoned her pants, he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist once more. "I want our first time to be formal…" he brought her back into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.


End file.
